About New York City Files

Welcome to New York City Files - Video tales from New York City, our online video diary and photo gallery of The City That Never Sleeps.

Being one of the greatest cities in the world, New York City represents a constant source of inspiration for artists of all kinds. From Battery Park to Central Park, from the Brooklyn Bridge to Times Square, New York City offers large variety of events; concerts, shows, sport events, street performances - there is always something going on in The City that Never Sleeps. We love exploring and sharing this city through the lens of a camera. It's a unique, one of a kind experience. From small details and simple ordinary moments to great shows and performances, we try to capture the essence of the Big Apple. Each video is a small story depicting New York City's spirit and lifestyle. The idea is to create a living video portrait of the people and places within the five boroughs.Feel free to check out our YouTube channel and like, comment and subscribe if you enjoy our New York City videos. All support and subscriptions are highly appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to visit!

History of New York City

Written documentation of the history of New York City began with the first European visit to the area by Giovanni da Verrazzano, in command of the French ship La Dauphine, when he visited the region in 1524. He sailed into Upper New York Bay, where he encountered native Lenape. They were the first native New Yorkers, an Algonquin people who hunted, fished and farmed in the area between the Delaware and Hudson rivers. European settlement began on September 3, 1609, when the Englishman Henry Hudson, in the employ of the Dutch East India Company, sailed the Half Moon through The Narrows into Upper New York Bay.In 1624, the Dutch West India Company sent some 30 families to live and work in a tiny settlement on “Nutten Island” (today’s Governors Island) that they called New Amsterdam. In 1626, the settlement’s governor general, Peter Minuit, purchased the much larger Manhattan Island from the natives for 60 guilders in trade goods such as tools, farming equipment, cloth and wampum (shell beads). Fewer than 300 people lived in New Amsterdam when the settlement moved to Manhattan. But it grew quickly, and in 1760 the city (now called New York City; population 18,000) surpassed Boston to become the second-largest city in the American colonies. Fifty years later, with a population 202,589, it became the largest city in the Western hemisphere.Throughout its history, New York City has served as a main port of entry for many immigrants, and its cultural and economic influence has made it one of the most important urban areas in the United States and the world. Today, more than 8 million New Yorkers live in the five boroughs, more than one-third of whom were born outside the United States. Thanks to the city’s diversity and vibrant intellectual life, it remains the cultural capital of the United States.